Nigel Calder has long been known to boaters as an expert on marine systems and diesel engines. His “Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual” and “Marine Diesel Engines” books are considered the definitive works in their fields. More recently, the world-renowned sailor and writer, who lives in Maine, has been leading the charge to adapt automotive hybrid [...]

In her former life as a professor, Marilynn Leonard never imagined how much she’d love flying around in Coast Guard helicopters, climbing on boats to perform vessel inspections and teaching people about boating safety.
But Leonard took to her work with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary like the proverbial fish to water. “If I’d known this was [...]

Yacht designer Bob Perry is the mind behind some of the most popular and enduring cruising boats sailing on Puget Sound and waters worldwide, from Tayanas to Valiants, Babas to Nordics. Credited for starting the “performance cruising” movement that merged sailing speed with offshore cruising, Perry, 63, also designs custom yachts and has won numerous [...]

The men and women gathered over cocktails and a potluck at a Gig Harbor marina on a recent weekend could have been part of any boating rendezvous on Puget Sound.
But when Seattle’s Olympic Yacht Club started, the price of membership for many was the fear of losing their jobs or alienating family and friends. They [...]

The Northwest lost one of its most prolific and respected boat builders and designers with the death last week of Norm Blanchard.
Blanchard died July 9. He was 98.
Blanchard was the son of Norman J. Blanchard, who founded the Blanchard Boat Company. He inherited both his father’s name and his talent and passion for boat building, [...]

If anyone knows about cruising in Puget Sound, it’s Migael Scherer. Scherer has been cruising in the area for more than 30 years and spent three years meticulously researching and writing “A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands,” a quintessential resource for boaters wanting to know the countless nooks and crannies [...]

When she was 14 years old and growing up in Florida, Rose Loper had an epiphany as clear as a Caribbean sea.
“I’m going to sail around the world in a 48-foot boat,” Loper told herself.
On the other edge of the country, Jani Way had the same vision. Growing up on the shores of Washington’s Lake Sammamish [...]